The restoration of a man’s sight stands for the gift of spiritual sight that we call faith. Luke could look at physical healing to see within it a universal spiritual truth. Within the individual events of our lives are embedded universal principles, truths and axioms. We drop a book. It is an instance of the law of gravity.

We need spiritual sight to see beyond the conflicts that wrack our life to the larger drama of which we are a part. Like the Church at Ephesus(see the First Reading: Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5). we can so emphasize the institutional truths and defenses of the Church that we can forget that it is also a community.

These two dimensions need each other. They are not artificially connected. We can so emphasize laws, rights and structure that we fail to notice that the soul of our community is love and Spirit.

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels, and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

“But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time with come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.” (Mark 13:24-32 RSV)

Today’s Gospel is an example of apocalyptic writing, a special type of literature that uses symbolic language and deals with both a specific historical situation as well as the end of time. For instance, some biblical scholars believe the words in today’s Gospel describe what happened when the Romans captured Jerusalem in 70 A.D. but many people also think this reading refers to the end of the world.

Because enemies were usually persecuting the intended audience, the authors of apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to give hope without risking increased persecution should the writing fall into the wrong hands. For instance, if the author simply tried to encourage his people to persevere by saying the king will one day die and his oppressive tactics will end, there was the possibility the king may intercept his writing and persecute his subjects even more because of it. However, if the author writes that the lion (the king) with the ten horns (symbolizing power) will one day be slain, the king will not know what this means and will probably dismiss it as gibberish.

The author of the words in today’s Gospel reading addresses early Christians whom the Romans were persecuting and killing because of their faith in the risen Lord. Mark tells them that even though they have to endure many terrifying ordeals (the reference to the sun and the moon being darkened is symbolic apocalyptic language for trials and tribulations) they should remain faithful to Jesus who promises to save them. Mark quotes Jesus as saying that even if heaven and earth pass away, He will still fulfill His promise to be with them in their time of need.

We have to remember that authors of apocalyptic literature wrote to give hope, not to instil fear. The message of apocalyptic writings is that no matter how bad the situation becomes, God will intervene in history and will vindicate those who remain faithful to Him. Therefore, anyone who uses apocalyptic writings like the book of Revelation to scare us is either deliberately misusing Scripture or really does not understand it.

According to New Testament apocalyptic writings, those of us who believe in Jesus have nothing to fear because He is more powerful than anything else. All we need to do is put our faith and trust in Him and He’ll take care of the rest. Do you trust the Lord enough to do that or do you tend to rely on your own power and abilities?

The story of Elizabeth of Hungary is an especially poignant one. She was a beautiful girl who married a prince around 1200. Theirs was a classic love story of mutual devotion. They had several children. Her husband died while on a crusade. Her brother-in-law removed her and her children from the castle.

After she made certain that provision for her children was secure, she gave up what she had and joined the Third Order of Saint Francis. She was plagued by a spiritual director who was worse than her brother-in-law. Her days were spent caring for lepers and begging food for the hungry. She experienced a great deal of living. After all this, she died at the age of 24. She is a saint!

Prayer: Lord God, You taught Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to see and reverence Christ in the poor. May her prayers help us to give constant love and service to the afflicted and the needy. We pray this in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.